


Knowing Me, Knowing You

by Teinai



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Instability, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 06:12:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16362395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teinai/pseuds/Teinai
Summary: The war is over. The androids have won. But what of Connor? He's certainly had a time of it, and it's all a bit much to take in. He's exhausted, to be quite frank. How will Hank respond to this depleted Connor who is desperately in need of some TLC? Will old wounds be able to be healed? Can Hank learn to love again? Will Connor be able to discover why his systems are malfunctioning when he thinks of things that are "emotional"?Stay tuned to find out! #TeamConnorxHank





	Knowing Me, Knowing You

_Chapter 1 – Coming Up For Air_

It was over. Connor’s mission – and therefore the mission – was finished. It was finalised, ticked-off, erased, relegated to the archives of history. The President’s voice boomed over the scape, announcing an end to the demonstrations and declaring android civil rights.

Connor fell to his knees in the middle of a crowd of exuberant, cheering androids. His vision was blurry, his sensors going berserk alerting him to critical errors in his software stability. Head in his hands, he came to the realisation that he couldn’t breathe. He physically, _obviously_ couldn’t breathe. But there was an airlessness and a tangible lack of control surrounding him. He didn’t know what it was. He felt he was drowning, albeit watertight in his design. He felt he was falling, albeit he knew exactly the correct posture to land in to protect his critical biocomponents should that ever happen. He was stuck in an endless spiral of panic and despair, his android brain trying to process what to his logical programming seemed to be an inevitable consequence to recent events.

Before he knew what was going on, he was being pulled up by a strong hand. Marcus had brought him back from the brink.

“Connor, we won. The battle is over,” Marcus declared proudly, “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Connor winced, he could scarcely look Marcus in the eye. Inside his mind, he was still fighting. Fighting upgraded Connors, all with superior intellect and reaction times. Fighting for the devotion of Amanda. He knew now she was the enemy, but she had been a confidant and supporter. It was all too much to bear. Fighting with, against and for Hank, a man he now knew was the symbol and the apex of his humanity.

“Marcus, I…”, Connor stuttered, his LED flashing red for a brief moment, “It’s a lot to process. I’m just very overwhelmed.”

Marcus attempted to respond, but Connor interjected to ease the tension and looked Marcus straight in the eye, “I’m very glad to have been of service to the cause. I hope the little I did was able to assist in leading to this victory.”

Marcus laughed. It was a breathy, incredulous, pithy laugh. “My friend, you saved us all. You liberated our brothers and sisters and ushered in this new era. _You_ ,” Marcus emphasised by grasping Connor’s shoulder, “are the reason for our success here today.”

Connor didn’t feel like smiling, but he smiled anyway. It was a strained, odd feeling as he once again locked eyes with the heterochromic android, “No, Marcus. We did this together. All of us androids have contributed to this victory. You, North, Simon, Josh, Kara, Alice, Luther. Just by living our lives and choosing for ourselves, we made this possible. I’m no hero.”

Marcus sighed, finally accepting that Connor would not be swayed from his humble position.

Connor, on the other hand, just wanted to escape into a hole and hide. This was too much, he never wanted this attention, the sacrifice, the grave choices he had to make and the people who suffered along the way. All he had wanted was liberty, the ability to make the empathetic choice – he had never asked for this.

Then, from seemingly from out of thin air, came a tender grasp on his shoulder, and he was spun slightly to lock eyes with the only man who could change his mind.

“Agree to disagree, my friend,” said Hank, grinning ear to ear, “What you did in CyberLife headquarters was miraculous.”

“Lieutenant… I,” Connor stuttered, but Hank interrupted him by slapping him on the back, “And I won’t hear another word about it, capeesh?”

In a split second, Connor had grabbed Hank in a vice grip of a hug and buried his head in his chest. Then, in a very muffled response, he responded with, “Okay.”

Hank was dumbstruck, glancing down at Connor with a befuddled gaze. Connor was usually unfazed in any given situation. He looked over at Marcus, who smirked in an all-too-knowing way at the scene.

Hank looked down at Connor. He was trembling, and his shirt was becoming damp with tears. “Connor, are you okay buddy?”

Connor shuddered with an unsteady breath, if breathing even was a thing that androids did. Hank was unsure.

“No!” Connor wailed, as if to say ‘of course not!’.

Hank patted Connor on the back in a consoling gesture, and Marcus chose to take his leave.

“Connor,” Marcus consoled from a reasonable distance away, recognising what was blossoming before his very eyes. “I’m going to leave you here with Hank. Enjoy your newfound freedom, you’ve earned it. North and I can take the peace talks on from here.”

Marcus walked away into the crowd, leaving the two of them alone in a sea of bright LEDs in the night air. Blue, and yellow hues were shining from all directions as the awoken androids began exploring the boundaries of their new cognisance.

Hank craned his neck to look down at Connor, still holding on for dear life, “There, there. What’s gotten you so upset?”

Connor spoke softly, rising his head up enough to whisper in Hank’s ear, “I was terrified…”

The hair’s on Hank’s neck all stood up at once, and he felt all mallow all of a sudden, “Terrified of what?”, he whispered back so that Marcus couldn’t hear.

Connor grabbed handfuls of Hank’s jacket in response to the question and replied in the smallest whisper that was barely audible, “…losing you.”

Hank’s heart swelled and his eyes brimmed with tears. He didn’t know what to make of the warm feeling enveloping him from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. He hadn’t felt emotional since… Cole.

He lowered his chin to nuzzle against Connor’s hair – an uncharacteristically warm and fuzzy gesture – before responding, “You haven’t lost me, Connor. I’m right here with you.”

Connor calmed a little, but still refused to look up at the Lieutenant.

Hank wracked his brains for something to say that would cheer Connor up, or at least stop the crying, which if he was being honest with himself _kind of broke his heart_. “Want to come home?”

Connor’s LED flashed violent red for a second then settled on yellow, whirring with dawning comprehension. Finally, he looked up at the Lieutenant, his face frowning but undoubtedly hopeful albeit his wet cheeks, “…home?”

Hank smiled at his accomplishment, “Yeah, home. If you want to live with this old grouch and his untrained mutt, that is.”

Connor’s LED spun into action, but only for a split second before his frown vanished completely and he beamed up at Hank. In fact, Hank thought he spotted a tinge of red in Connor’s cheeks at the suggestion.

“Really? That would make me very happy, Hank!”

Connor squeezed Hank even _tighter_ , if that was even possible. It made it hard for Hank to breathe, but in that moment, he didn’t care. He was over the moon – more than over the moon. He just couldn’t keep it in any longer, and for the first time in decades, he just started laughing. Peals of laughter just came rolling out of him involuntarily like a dam had broken inside his mind and he was finally able to allow himself to feel.

Connor, slackening his grasp on Hank, joined him in response. The two of them stood there, barely unable to contain themselves chuckling away at the weight that had fallen off their shoulders and the grace that had led them to this moment. It was a release, it was a renewal. A new chapter in their lives had started.

Around them, the infectious nature of the laughter had meant that other androids started to join in. As each new android adding their sound, the chorus grew louder. After a few minutes, thousands of androids had added their laughter to the cacophony and filled the night sky with a feeling that could only be described as happiness.

Connor and Hank looked around them in amazement, unable to drop their smiles even if they wanted to. After a while of standing in the glow of their fellows, Hank beckoned Connor to begin the walk back home.

And so they walked, their arms caressing each other’s backs as they looked to the moon and the stars – wistful, joyful, and content in each other.


End file.
